Teenagers: Apple no longer cool, Microsoft Surface is in

Apple is done and Microsoft's Surface is now down with the kids, according to a report by Buzz Marketing Group. The company specialises in youth marketing and has discovered that younglings are more into Microsoft's Surface tablet than Apple's competing hardware. This might be proof to show just how similar new generation of hardware is to predecessors, with little to excite consumers - teens in particular.

Microsoft has innovated with Windows 8 and its Surface RT tablet, which sports an attractive design and boasts an array of features. It has been a hit with both consumers and ourselves. But why has the younger demographic shown more interest in Microsoft's product than the trendy Apple? Buzz notes that Apple is now too popular to be popular and teens are into replacing iPhones and iPads with Samsung Galaxy smartphones and Microsoft Surface tablets.

"Teens are telling us Apple is done. Apple has done a great job of embracing Gen X and older [Millennials], but I don’t think they are connecting with Millennial kids. [They’re] all about Surface tablets/laptops and Galaxy."

The teenage demographic is an important one, which Nokia highlighted back when the company was joining forces with Microsoft on supporting Windows Phone. Should Apple be losing such mindset with young consumers could prove to be a slight dent in the company's sales numbers, with Microsoft picking up some points.

The software (and now hardware) giant has been jabbed by Apple in the past for being dull and not cool with consumers, particularly with the Mac vs PC commercials. With the refresh of Windows and other products and services, it's reports like these that will progress being made by Microsoft to rejuvenate its brand. Windows 8 is now alive with Live Tiles that update with real information, as well as improved user interfaces that incorporate bright colours and clever use of typography.

Could Windows and Microsoft be the new cool? We certainly believe so, and it would seem younger consumers are on the same wavelength.

Teenagers: Apple no longer cool, Microsoft Surface is in

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i actually already believe that the surface is becoming popular with the teenage demographic. I was just hanging out with a friend of mine who is still in highschool. she's in her senior year. i mentioned randomly that i wanted a surface and she went off saying how there's a guy in her school that has it and how "cool" it was. she went on to tell me that she askd her dad not to get her an ipad for christmas because she wanted a surface.
as a side note, she fully knew the surface was the "microsoft tablet."
also, having just finished my first week of the spring semester in university, i've already seen 2 surface users inside 2 different lectures i have. this is in stark contrast to when i first got my Asus zenbook. it took me months to find 2 other users.

Lets face the way that we are not as large as Us or China regarding the matter of cell phone piece of the overall industry. Be that as it may we are still lucky Fetele Norocoase to get these gadgets sooner than any possible nations on the planet. Lets simply be joyful that it is impending not later than March.

My daugheter got a Surface to replace her ipad at college the first weeknd it was out. She gets comments on it all the time. She said now that the new semester has started she is starting to see a lot more of them on campus in classes.

Someone missed the point. Yes, teenagers have parents, but most teenagers do not get the newest and greatest right away. They usually have to wait until birthdays, holidays ect to ask for these things as gifts.

It's ridiculous how people give gifts based on traditions. I taught my kids the truth about Christmas, Easter, birthdays, etc. They get gifts from me anytime of the year b/c of my love for them and what I can afford - not out of traditions.

I don't celebrate Christmas because it was created to attract people to the Christian faith by mixing non-Christian beliefs and practices to make it more appealing. Nowhere in the Bible does it indicate that early Christians celebrated Jesus birthday nor did Jesus himself. Even the celebrating of Christmas was banned in the U.S. for a time.

And comments like, "It gives people something to look forward to and get excited about" is indicative of the reason why people celebrate Christmas - to give and get gifts on a day created to make the Christian faith look appealing; basing it on the unknown birthdate of Jesus: And there is no historical record that indicates he ever celebrated his own birthday. And how did Santa Claus, Saint Nick, reindeer, and trees get associated with the birth of Jesus? And why is Jesus still depicted as a baby after millennia?

I teach my kids the truth. Just like I teach them Windows Phone based smartphones are the best ;-)

This entire comment reply chain is getting out of control. Not only is it totally off topic now, people are voicing severely open ended statements that beg response in a controversial way. Like "I'm a teenager and I work for money" or "18-19 year olds are teens too". I started working when I was 14 years old, so I know teens work for money, and I know kids have parents, that's ridiculous to imply otherwise... These comments aren't productive and don't warrant the responses of the original comment or their immediate reply's. This is a runaway chain and needs to end. I'm tired of getting tons of emails about ridiculous comments such as these, just begging for idiocracy responses. PLEASE END THIS NOW!!!

Christmas is the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice. The traditions of gift giving, trees, mistletoe, wreaths, yule logs, Santa Claus & reindeers etc are all Pagan. The Christians (one of the Caesars I believe) twisted it to be about Jesus, but it is false. They also did the same with Easter, which is a Pagan tradition and also known as passover by the Jewish - both of which pre-date the ressurection of Jesus. That's why Easter has hot-cross buns, easter bunnies, gift giving etc as they are all Pagan traditions!
I am not Christian and I couldn't care less about any extra meaning the Christians place on those days. I'm not Pagan either, but the Pagan origins is the truth and that is what I will teach my kids. But I still celebrate Christmas as sadly it's pretty much the only time of the year that all families make an effort to be together - so it's a good thing in my perspective. Americans have Thanksgiving for that too, but obviously that doesn't exist in any other countries.

Hence why I said "don't look for demographic sales data" have you ever heard of demographics? I don't doubt that it's this thing you call parents that buy gadgets for their kids, but sales data won't support that it's the teens driving the sales.

@jsnod25 You missed the point of the article. The article is not about the demographics of who buys the MS Surface but about the poll conducted by Buzz Marketing Group which is orientated towards the youth so it was the youth they asked what they thought of these gadgets.. They did not poll the parents who buy these devices for their kids. The conclusion about the "coolness" of the MS Surface came from the young people themselves.

@Tips_y
You missed the point of my reply, and likewise the point i was making towards the original post. Maybe its my background in business, and your lack of it, but I was telling the guy who made the original comment not to look for supporting sales data to reflect the data found in this article...

Apples products aren't so cheap either. At least you can vary with what you want with Microsoft. With apple you're confined to just the iPhone and just the iPad. There's not much farther you can get. With windows phone you can find some fairly cheap ones with a upgrade contract of course.

Probably a gross exageration in the headline but I'm getting a feeling that a lot of people are becoming tired of Apple's stuff. Not just teenagers but the under 30s too.
The Surface, Lumias, and HTC 8X do have designs people would take a second look at and want to talk about. The software I'm still not sold on.

This I agree with. I had an HTC One X prior to my Lumia 920 and the first day my sister in law and her family saw my phone they knew it was new, despite both being in white. I've had non-geek friends say how they like the design of my phone. I thought I wouldn't be getting that attention unless I had the red or blue. Ah well, go Lumia.

I personally see something brewing.. The older generations does not see it but it's there. I see it with the coming Nokia Lumia 620 which may well be the phone that will burst the bubble and make WP go boom in a big and positive way. The momentum is here, a device like the 620 is pretty much what is needed. WIth the arrival of more and more WP8 devices the WindowsRT/Windows8 ecosystem and the look and feel will become more and more familiar. Couple that with roughly 200million new W8 PCs coming in this year and I would predict the landscape may be a lot mor W(P)8 colored come fall..

I know I'd be first in line for a Surface Pro if it came with HSPA/LTE built in.
Otherwise I'm still toying with a Pro or a Lenovo Yoga 13. The only thing stopping me from the RT Surface was it didn't run desktop apps so couldn't guarantee dongle compatibility.

Its $10/month to add the device itself, but you forgetting the family data plan you have to adjust (i have the 10GB), it also allows tethering on all phones on my plan. So if you family members own an apple device or droid and don't install App Killer, you're going to exceed the data plan and incur major charges every month. You'd be surprised at how many people this happens to. Sales people don't tell you about this until you call inquiring why you received a text 1 week after purchasing your phone saying you .3 left before you incur charges

I do see the need, I like to keep my options open - and not kill my phone with WiFi tethering. I could get local Sims or 30 day contracts for my tablet. I use most of my data plan on my handset now so sharing it wouldn't be advised unless paying for more - which then cant be downgraded in the life of the contract on my network.
Being able to call on my handset while still use the internet on the tablet would also be handy, or let my mates borrow it for a presentation etc while not needing to tether to my phone. Better to include the radios and not need them, than not include them and need them. So much more flexible.

Not all carriers permit tethering - I found this out when I was travelling overseas with my laptop & mobile. I would get a SIM with a data plan easily enough, but a couple wouldn't allow the laptop to use the connection via tethering. It was often difficult to explain what I wanted in foreign languages - it would be easier to buy a dongle in such cases, as it's obvious what the intended purpose is (as opposed to just buying the SIM)

The Samsung Ativ-S T700 Smart PC. (Tablet with removable keyboard to make a nice Netbook) i5, 4Gb Ram, 64-256 SSD, Micro-SD Slot comes with a Telecom 3G Modem and Sim Slot... But it is expensive. I got one and it is amazing!

I bought RT and am so delighted at the amount of work I can do while remote (production dba) that I just might pick up a Pro to be done with it and use RT for personal stuff or give to my mom to replace her older PC that she uses for games and Facebook. People Hub won't be an issue, were a WP family. As for others at work, if RT and certainly Pro support USB serial ports, then our datacenter managers are all over it; I haven't tested one way or another. Exciting!

Heh, my brother was telling me that just before break a friend at school asked him what he was using (he saw Xbox tile) and freaked out. He's spoiled rich and threw his new iPhone 5 and stomped on it. Next day, he had an HTC 8X. I asked for video proof and bro said it happened so fast they were in shock.

Maybe this will happen, but what I would really like to see is the Nokia of my teenage years. I love my new device, but I loved being able to easily customize my old nokias, and make them my own. I hope Nokia embraces that past in the future...I like personalizing my stuff and would love to have that option in the future.
In todays age we can have different cases, but at the expense of adding bulk to our devices. I want to be able to customize the shell of my phone again and make it my own, like 10+ years back.
Just a though. People like having something different than everyone else, companies need to realize what they forgot and make this happen.
Personalization is the key to having a product that is adopted by the masses. We have the os with wp8, now we just need this option for the device itself.

Hmm slow windows 8 sales, surface sales are nominal, windows phone not even third yet... I love Microsoft more than anyone but I still see kids asking their parents for apple products. Cool is one thing, status symbol is another.

Licenses are selling the same, not the same as actual windows 8 machines. Once Microsoft releases a new OS you buy the latest OS license and then you can use the previous (Windows 7). That's pretty much what every enterprise is doing right now... Research any OEM, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus all says PC sales are slow. Look at the stock market too. Do some research.

I think we did have a good holiday spending this year but technically speaking isn't the economy still trying to recover? Also many have just kept what they already have and some are reluctant to try a new os. Just look at the bad taste Vista left in people... Not only that there's that 1% of people out there that's very vocal and make it sound like w8 is a mess when in reality its just new and they are afraid of change... I think the sales will steadily increase once we start hearing better words about w8 instead of what some numnut in a desk wrote how bad it is and hundreds of people read it and base it off that... I have no clue what you mean by status because Microsoft I assume is up there in terms of status as a company...

I agree. All the vocal bloggers don't know what's going on inside the enterprise. We welcome the change, and our company, like many others I work with, are planning on and will move to one device... A windows 8 hybrid. No more iPads and laptops.

I'm an IT Manager at a state/local govt organization in Texas and just replace 50 computer with the Dell Optiplex 9010AOI touch win 8 pc's and everyone there is loving them. Old/young alike. These are domain joined pc's

I'm not a teen but I refuse to go with crowd just because everyone is doing it. I want Microsoft to succeed in both the mobile and tablet markets but I'm not one hoping they get anywhere above 45% of users. I want them to be relevant but I don't want something everyone else have.

I kind of feel the same. I had my mind set on an android phone but I got a WP because lets face it, android was a rip off of ios. So i went with something that did not resemble a rip off lol. And it had Xbox integration, Office, nice Xbox live titles, and its different! I hope WP does catch on and grows but I will still continue to try new things, I am not big on being a follower or sheep as some say.... I am looking ahead at BB10, maybe the new Firefox os if it becomes available in US, the Tizen OS from Samsung with an Intel chip if again it becomes available,etc etc although I am very impressed and love my WP phone... We will see what the future of tech holds for us...

I can understand the feeling of wanting to be different, but sometimes, there's a damn good reason why something gets so popular. Like when the iPhone first came to Verizon... At the time, the Android phones were just shit. Battery life sucked. Performance sucked. Everything just sucked. He went from an Incredible to the iPhone and is still using it. His only problem was that he felt like he was "selling out".
I told him to like what he likes and what works best. He shouldn't feel like he's selling out for using a product that works better for him.

I listen to 91 Jazz FM a lot and they are always mentioning their app for the iPad. Of course it ain't cool! Haha. Apple stuff is more for older people. Kids still want it for now because that's what everybody else has. This just means there'll be some teenagers who'll want to do something different, set a trend, and start a new wave.

I really don't think so. I'm 20 and know a lot of teens, all of them still lust for iPhones/Pads/Pods and Macs. Besides the guys who did this research don't really seem to know a lot about what they are researching: " [They’re] all about Surface tablets/laptops" what are surface laptops?

I think they mean Surface tablets and Windows laptops, or they're referring the tablets as laptops, which is possible with the keyboard, etc. It's like a little netbook with the keyboard and stand both in use.

A good majority of the teens I know get an iPhone just because it is the popular thing and don't even realize that windows phones/surfaces exist. Microsoft may be gaining in coolness but I wouldn't say apple is done by any means

I have yet to see this translated to my neck of the woods (I live in a well known and popular Western Massachusetts college town). Due to my wife's job at one of the three colleges in town, we actually live on campus (she';s a resident director). The local high school is right next door to where we live and work as well. I see college and high school students around all the time. Maybe the word hasn't hit here yet. But all I see are Androids and iPhones around. That's not to say some don't have MS devices.

But what I have notice is that many of my peers in my age group (late 20's, early 30's) are recognizing the stuff that MS is doing. Especially with the Surface. One of my friends, who is the computer guy we all go to for advice, is pretty much sold on getting the Surface Pro and a kid I went to high school with asked last week on Facebook what should he go with, an iPad or a Surface. I told him about my experience with W8 on my desktop and how its really optomized for touch devices. I don't know if it put his decision over the top, but he went with the Surface

My two boys who are 10 & 12 and who each have Xboxs, Kindle Fire HDs and Ipod Touchs, can't keep their hands off the Surface RTs we have. My 10 year old literally picked it up having never played with a Surface or Windows 8 and mastered all the swipes and gestures in about 5 minutes. It was too cool to watch. I was like I gotta record this, this like a commercial.
Several other cousins in their late teens and twenties gave gotten Surface tablets. Its encouraging, I think it eventually clicks for them how much more a Surface Tablet compared to their old ipad. There really is a difference.

My 8 year old loves my Wp8 lumia810 and asked my when my work will be getting me a new phone (my work issued me a iPhone 4) my son says that they (my Company) better not get a new iphone because those things are crappy!
The windows 8 tablet will soon be the hot item.
No more Ipads for the kids thats for sure. - I mean really!! think about it! its the same software that they have on the ipod touch and iphone just with a bigger screen. I was actually very suprised when I played with an ipad the first time a few years ago... I laughed at the Apple sales rep and said really its just a super sized ipod and he giggled and said pretty much! I knew then I would never buy one.
Microsoft had built a Windows Phone and a tablet that work together yet have different UI's they offer very similar experiences yet totally different . I dont feel like im using the exact same peice of equptment jusrt in a magnified mode like with ios.
I couldnt imagine paying $500 for an iphone 5 then buying an Ipad 4 for $600 and the only difference is a larger screen to play my AngryBirds on.
At least wtih WP8 and windows 8 I get a totally different experience on each device.

I'd love to know which teenagers where asked, the Surface has hardly taken off and I don't think many teenagers are disappointed with their current iOS, Android and even BB devices, so find this quite false and rather unbelievable!

With such limited availability and OEM partners crying at each step, it is basically a no-brained that it hasn't taken off. It is still Microsoft's attempt to define what a "cool tablet"is supposed to be like and they have done a good job at it. In short, this product was never meant to have "terrific" sales.

Also, while we are at it...lets just say that despite such limited availability and an iPad-esque price tag, it has had modest sales. Sure enough, it hasn't set the world on fire but that's not the point.

also unlike apple and kindle and with the exception of android, microsoft has oem partners that they have reasonably good relationships with. Theres no reason in my mind why a company thats pretty much ran on partnerships is going to kneecap said partners.

I would think most kids don't even know about all the Microsoft lawsuits and stuff of the past. And they probably don't remember the "mac vs PC" commercials either. What they DO know is that Microsoft makes Xbox, and that makes them cool. Grandparents use iPhones and ipads now. Grandparents are not cool.

Unless apple changes the UI of their entire OS, Microsoft will slowly but surely gain market share. This is because when you see a surface or any other win8 device, its just begging you to touch it. Its new, its fresh and has eye popping colors. This is why tiles are the way to go nowadays.

iPhone is not cool because it's iPhone... It's 'popular' because that's the core medium of communication for teenagers. It's like when cellphones with cameras were in, we communicated via SMS and kept posting up crappy pics of stupid crap... Today, it's the fact that iPhone attracts the popular apps first, before everyone else gets it -- so to not have an iPhone is to basically be out of the full loop. It is/was similar with the BB kids, BBM was part of their loop.
To be frank, I think Surface stands a great chance to dive in towards teens in the tablet segment. I don't think teens care as much as about apps and stuff on the iPad, in fact, it's as though they want a tablet for the sake of having a tablet. In other cases, they might get one because it's being integrated as part of the education curriculum. In that case, MS should push for wider standards in terms of the applications and extensions used, so as to push in more Surfaces into that scene.

Exactly, it's instagram, ichat, snapchat, and a proper Facebook app with chat. It's not the "cool" factor, it's the "what everyone else uses". Had my son on WP for a while, wanted an iPhone so he could do all the things above. Things you can't do very well, or at all on WP.

I'd agree. That's the main complaint I hear from kids that I recommend Windows Phones to.
"It doesn't have this cool app!" or I can't "take pictures and add the vomit effect on them" or how "the Facebook app isn't good enough"
Yeah, 100,000 apps don't mean a lot when the cool apps aren't there. It's stupid but that's how stuff works now.

No, write for developing. And this all over the same. Everybody wants earn money. One way is, you pay or spamming, adds....... The same i the app store. You and all the people you know should write e-mails for developing apps on WP. And if they see there is big interest..... They will develop, because they can earn....

I agree with you for the most part in regards to contacting developers of lessor known apps that I may want. Also, I would gladly purchase those apps and support those developers, and I have done just that. However, I don't feel I should have to contact the companies that produce mainstream apps such as Amex, Spotify (no WP8), Runkeeper, Pandora (stopped using anyway), Instagram (don't use it, but the kids do, something going on behind the scenes preventing this app from being released) the list goes on. MS needs to work that out, not me.

yes, thats correct, but in the first have WE as customer show them, that we are intrest in these or any app we like. MS marketplace is a platform for apps. MS mp for Win 8/RT or WP 7/8 needs the response of users. And if app programmer and developers are intrest to put it on marketplace they do it, but we have to give them a reason why they should.
the rest will go by selv. only see the trouble with google maps and WP. we have tyo give them a reson why.
Kai

oh. Im german and live in norway. that means we have also market economy.

Writing to developers and businesses with iPhone and Android apps is actually a good idea. I would love to convince my bank to finally get around to porting their online banking app to Windows. Even if it isn't a huge market share right now, they are still going to get some customers who could use it. It's not that expensive for them to port over an already existing app from iPhone or Android.
If there's a business out there who you think should develop a Windows app, send them to the Windows Phone Dev Center. Microsoft has even developed some tools to help developers port from iOS and Android.

Hey guys! Just purchased my Surface two days ago and love it!!!! Sleek, smooth, and fast. I'm really impressed. However, the Best Buy store I bought it from didn't even have a working model there. What the hell!!!! And the sales rep didn't even know how to use it. Wow!

That's strange. Out here all the 9 Best Buy's I visit on a weekly basis have the Surface on display. Some stores have it in two departments. Mobile and tablet/PC. And some associates, young and old, are ecstatic about it. I even talked to some associates and they have been accommodated with Lenovo Yoga's for work but they can still use it personally and many absolutely love it. I have seen a couple of them accommodated with surface tablets but not much. I even talked to a store manager who purchased a surface for himself because he was tired of his iPad. Lol.

All you here who don't see it happening are just bunch newbie's. I went to CES and saw many people loving the windows 8 and surface tablet, ultrabook and laptops. Apple totally sucks just like there OS. Surface rt and pro kick ass.

Apple is done? Dream on. And be a little realistic. How about supporting sensationalist statements with a little sales figures? Because last I hear the iPad outsold all other tablets. Surface wasn't even in the top 5 for Q4 sales.

I'm really beginning to wonder: why do you even bother showing up here?
The article didn't say "Apple is doomed" or "Microsoft is gaining tons of market share". No, it said "products are starting to get noticed because of this survey."
Why the unnecessary hatred? You obviously don't take kindly to half the stuff posted here so again, why do you bother showing up?

Nobody is saying they are done. Do yourself a favor and read the article. It is saying surface is getting the younger generation's attention and how Apple is loosing their "cool" factor and how Microsoft is gaining cool points... Also, if you look at sales figures, who's buying those ipads? Certainly not many young teens. I saw a customer return an iPad the other day because her daughter told her to and exchange it for a surface so she can also use it for school... Seriously, look beyond sales figures...

WP really needs instagram to make these kids happy. I don't doubt MS/Nokia are pushing for an App, not sure what the hold up is. I couldn't care less about it, but it's necessary for the platform to grow into double digit %.

Pfff...I have 2 laptops upgraded to Windows 8, Surface RT, Lumia 920 and got my mother Lumia 710. Still I feel Surface will not sell. They meant to sell over 2 milion by the end of the year, but reports says that it was only around 0.5 milion which is a shame. I can see Windows 8 selling quite well but RT will be dead by the end of this year, max. and that's because of the procing, Surface should start at $100 less and covers should go for $70-80. Look even Samsung will not release Ativ Tab in US, that is really bad.

I do not see Windows RT dying anytime soon. For a couple of reasons. One, it comes with Office preinstalled already within the tablet. Name another tablet that does that? Not only that Office is a world wide standard for schools, businesses, etc. Two, IE browser supports flash even though it is a dying standard. IPad does not. And the latest version of Android doesn't either. Reason I mention this is because many online courses for school still require flash.
I would disagree as far as pricing goes. I mean have you actually felt it? Build quality is top notch. It is in par or better (IMO)than the iPad. They use magnesium alloy case which is light and strong and pricey. In other words its NOT cheap. Half the android tablets have garbage build quality and plasticy feel to them, not to hate on Android, although lately Google has been pissing me off... I would like it to be $100 less but being that it can do just about everything an iPad can do and more, the price is justifiable.. Just wait till school resumes sales will pick up and hopefully the economy as well...

I'm telling you I have Surface and I love built quality and for me pricing is great, but it doesn't change the fact that normal masses doesn't care about office and they will be saying that for this money they can get a laptop or a pc that runs full Windows or that they can get Ipad or Android tablet anyway. Apple and Google are selling over 100mln tablets yearly, so even if magically Microsoft will sell 5 milion RT tablets over a year that will be a sh*** number.

I think the one area that Microsoft needs to do better is bringing the social apps to their platforms. I'm not just talking instagram, there are a lot of applications, like bmx bike racer or any crowd sourced game, along with the new facebook apps that are hitting iOS and the google play store. finally they really really need snapchat, its a new social type of network, and if microsoft could say they've got it, it really puts them in a position where the developers start taking them seriously. above all else, they need to work with the existing application developers that develop across all applications and make sure that new functionalities are added across all three platforms equally. Otherwise they'll never be considered on equal footing with the other two operating systems.

Couldn't agree more. Its partially the app makers fault and partially microsofts fault. I had when there is a new social app gay everyone is playing and I can't be a part of it because it's not on windows phone. Plus I don't have an iPod or anything. That's what's really holding people back from windows phone in my opinion.

The whole problem I see is not Surface but RT. MS is pushing the wrong product. IOS, RT and Android all suffer from their app only approach. While Win 8 / 8 Pro is much more capable. In a way Surface Pro and the other Pro tablets are like SUVs, less optimized, more utility. Like for SUVs, it took the manufacturers some time to optimize the features. People just like products that are versatile and capable. SUVs, Station Wagons, Light Trucks are dominant in the Western economies. They offer more for the buck even so they cost more than basic cars. MS must get this message out, people are smart and will see that it buys them flexibility and utility.

I was in a Verizon store over the holidays and there was a curious scene I noticed...all the older folks were hogging the iPhone section and the younger kids were all oogling the Windows 8 phones...kids don't have money but they are heavy influencers in what their parents/household buys...

our kids got their Surfaces for Christmas and they are fantastic School computers. The battery life is fantastic, they are ulra light, rugged and ulra cool and expandable via sd and usb. This survey is spot on.

I am 21 so many of my friends are teenagers aswell and I always see them with the newest Apple gadgets (iPhone 5, macbook air etc). Plus Microsoft hasn't really shown any love to Switzerland (where I live)...no win8 ads, no wp7/8 ads nothing! Many of our neighboring countries (germany, france) have had lots of support....
Many people still don't know what a windows phone is here, and that is sad.

None of the teenagers I know even know what the surface is. If anything, teens not into apple are going google/android and not giving Microsoft a second thought. I think the windows name became toxic during the XP period with all of the security issues. I think a rebrand across their product lines would be a huge benefit to Microsoft

Also, the point about Macs being 'cool' in the past is a bit flawed. It just proves that coolness doesn't equal sales... Which kinda defeats the purpose of this article.
I can confirm as a 19 year old UK student that I love my Surface, Windows 8 and HTC 8X :)

Being 16, and owing my 8S, Laptop, Desktop, and Surface all with Windows/Phone 8, and migrating from Apple, I found it to be very refreshing and new. Even now when my friends ask to see my phone they remark about how unique it is, and how much it costs to see if they can get one. I agree, Microsoft is the new cool. I'm excited for what they can bring us in the near future!

Darn straight Microsoft stuff is cool. The smarter teens realize this. The ones who are just now upgrading their Blackberries to iPhones are a little behind. Those who go out and buy 2008 Macbooks for the price of a much more powerful modern Windows laptop/tablet are buying for some sort of lingering (had it ever really been there) "cool factor" still sadly.

I could see this happening; it's what made me switch from another OS to WP8, after being w/that OS since 2007 (although I am far from being a teenager). It's a new look; it's fresh; it's fun to learn the tricks of a new OS, and it's nice to be a bit unique from others you know. The other OSes are starting to look and act too much alike, IMHO. I think, right now, it's only at the introductory stage w/that demographic. They like the "look", thus the "cool factor", but in order to make them actually ADOPT the OS/ecosystem and STAY there, MS really needs to stop the bleeding of devs and make the apps happen. To me, that's the bottom line. MS will either commit to making it happen (and quickly!), or they will unfortunately be relegated to another "also ran" in this sector. Here's to hoping.

...when I say "apps", I mean apps AND games. My GF 15 y/o won't touch anything other than his iPhone because he games too much on it. When he looks at my other two OSes I use, he just scoffs that there aren't any good games on them that work as smoothly and look as great. Unfortunately, he's right so far, I think.

Obviously you have not shown him any of the Xbox Live tittles and exclusives that fill the WP appstore... They literally write articles about games on here all the time... And they are very cool games. Just saying...

I think it will take off once certain apps are there and I've always said WP and w8 look like they would appeal to the mainstream and teens cuz it has the UI appeal that's modern and hip looking compared to dull IOS

The surface certainly hasn't taken off nor has Windows Phone. But as a owner of a Lumina 920 I can confirm this from up state New York, people are certainly asking questions and making positive observations.

Well im not a techy or anything, I just recently needed to buy a phone, I originally planed on buying a sony xperia U (android) but in the shop I fell in love with the nokia lumia 800, cheap now because of the newer lumia's. I bought it and love it. Some of my friends like my lumia better than their Iphones. Anyway started to look into the whole windowsphone thing and the new and improved windows uhm everything and I gotta say this tablet gives me a hard-on. I think its way prettier than an Ipad. I think microsoft is making a big efford to catch up with apple and they seem to be doing a great job. Also I want to say it's a big misconception that all apple users are Isheep and they only buy apple products. Im writing this on my macbook btw. I think microsoft still has a long way to go but they seem to be heading in the right direction and I for one am excited to see whats comming in the future.

This is such bullshit lol, yeah the iphone might have lost some of its cool but no one necessarily goes for the surface , some people think its too expensive (myself included) which is why they dont buy. Its all about the sub $400 tablets now a days but of course Microsoft missed the mark , AGAIN.

Microsoft needs to stop pretending they are still "cool" because they are not , i'm 21 and I know most of my friends don't even think about WP8 or the surface as a new gadget device. They think apple or steer to Android, and for good reasons too. Price is the main concern , now that the ipad mini is sub $400, and the lagdroid tablets are cheaper than that. Until Microsoft wakes up from the arrogance of only sending out mediocre products and software (except for the xbox) they have a lot to gain before they are on the general public's mind.

I MEAN C'MMON YOU CANT EVEN PUT A CUSTOM PICTURE ON UR $600 WINDOWS RT TABLET BACKGROUND... REALLY? What a Joke.

I like how they think they are still hot s*** , by only sending out " At least 2 wp updates" a year .. They recently got the wifi working when the phone is locked, maybe by the time wp10 comes out they will have custom colored tiles... maybe..
I love Microsoft , but im running out of patience and starting to feel bad for them. There's no more excuses for them.

I couldn't disagree more. Windows 8 is so ugly and annoying and difficult to use. Also, on Windows Phone 8, they don't even acknowledge that files exist. I want to share files through NFC & bluetooth, I want to change the keyboard, phone dialier, messaging app, camera app. I want to manage my files, drag and drop without a silly program. I want open source, not proprietary bs. I want live wallpapers, side loading apps, i want customization. I want 7x the # of apps in the WP Market. I want nothing to do with Ballmer. I want something from 2013, not 2010. Internet Explorer honestly does suck so much. Bing should not even be called a search engine. It should be called retarded since that is what it is. This is the truth: Google could defecate something better than WP8. Google search, Youtube, Gmail, Google Maps, Android, Chrome, Earth, it is ridiculous how horrible Microsoft is. It really is! People on this OS and echosystem are freaking weird and retarded. The only people who use IE are either unable to install another browser or are unfamiliar with how much better most other browsers are. I freaking HATE silverlight and would prefer a more universal standard like flash for Netflix so that it works on other systems...you know since people have other systems and still pay for it. I hate Exchange Activesync for being proprietary instead of CardDAV and CalDAV which is open to everyone. In fact, how dare they cast dispersions on Google for supporting open source standards instead of Microflop proprietary BS.

Although it sounds like I'm angry, I'm not. Just telling it how I see it. No offense to any particular person.

You know what else is the truth? How google likes to compromise their user's privacy and sell their browsing history and other info to their advertisers. Also, how they like to play those silly games and keep google maps off WP phones and not grant MS access so they can release a nice YouTube app. I used to like their Gmail but now it's a mess. Weren't WP users having issues with those as well because google decided to change things up? And you're having a hard time using Windows 8? Maybe you should go into one of those MS stores and have one of those kids teach you a thing or two. I still like android but the truth is it started as a blatant ripoff of ios. Talk about originality... It can also be argued how horrible Google is... Or is becoming. Plus officially speaking w8 is out for about 2-3 months now? Where was android in its first 2-3 months? Maybe you should also stop making offensive comments of people that you may not even know because they prefer one product over another and then you have the audacity to say you were not trying to offend anyone.... Please..

I have a windowsphone so you're basically calling me weird and retarded.
even though you might have a valid point there, I can't help but feeling slightely offended.
Also, do you realy need a picture of your cat as wallpaper ? I can live without that.
Anyway different people love different things. I like my friends Iphones, I'm not so keen on android (always seems cluttered and feels somewhat juvenile - but thats my opinion based on seeing other friends' phones, never had one myself)
Im a happy wp customer